


he has a death wish (but even that sounds too kind)

by nightofthefallen



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Aggressively Making Friends, Bets & Wagers, Gen, Guilt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-09 23:18:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13491900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightofthefallen/pseuds/nightofthefallen
Summary: When all else fails, stalking is not out of the question.





	he has a death wish (but even that sounds too kind)

Io learns quickly that Nox isn’t all that friendly. That might be the greatest understatement in the galaxy.

It starts when she asks Ikora about having a scout help her get some information on Venus, specifically from Ishtar Academy. 

Ikora’s brow furrows slightly, as much as a sign of frustration as the Warlock Vanguard will give. Io has a feeling it’s not directed at herself.

“There’s one who knows the area well, but he doesn’t work well with others. You might be able to convince him, but it won’t be that pleasant of a trip, Io,” Ikora tells her.

Io shrugs. She’s a professional. She’s not there for conversation or fun. She just needs to get in, get her information, and get out. She tells Ikora that much. 

The Warlock Vanguard sighs. “It’s up to you. Good luck,” she says, and then pushes Io towards Andal Brask, the Hunter Vanguard. “She’s looking for Nox,” Ikora informs the man. 

Andal stares at her in surprise. Then he laughs, and glances down at Io (she’s not short, damn it. Everyone else is just too tall) and grins. “You sure? He doesn’t play nice with most people. You could always just get him to get your information for you. He’d probably prefer it that way.” 

But Io isn’t so quickly intimidated. She knows what she needs, and doesn’t necessarily trust someone else to get the information for her, so she raises her chin and stares Andal in the eye. “I can handle a prickly Hunter,” she says determinedly. Andal stares a moment longer, then chuckles.

“Your funeral,” is his only comment, before he keys in a Tower announcement calling for a Nox Landis to report to the Hunter Vanguard.

A few moments later, a monochrome Hunter strides into the room. Io takes a moment to assess him; confident, but not cocky, based on his swagger. Nevertheless, people get out of his way, meaning he either has that kind of air about him or people know who he is, she isn’t sure which. A hand cannon rests at his thigh, which looks like a custom Better Devils. Which would mean some Crucible experience, at least. Shaxx doesn’t give out those hand cannons to just anybody.

Jupiter flies up to her shoulder and mutters, “I don’t like him,” then disappears. Io supposes that going to be her Ghost’s only contribution to this encounter, then. Fair enough.

“Nox,” Andal greets him warmly, as the scout pulls off his helmet. A handsome human face greets them. Blue eyes and dusty blond hair, maybe a few freckles. He looks young enough, but physical age doesn’t mean much to a Guardian.

Then he opens his mouth, and Io learns the meaning of hating someone on sight (or, in this case, on sound).

“Andal? I thought today was my day off?” Nox asks. His eyes flick Io’s way, and then seems to pass her off as a non-interest. Io feels mildly insulted. 

“This young lady,” Io yelps as Andal catches her by the shoulders and drags her in front of him, “Needs someone to get her safely to Ishtar Academy, and since you know the area the best…”

Nox gives her a critical look, and then crosses his arms. “Not interested,” he says shortly. “Find someone else.” Io frowns at the Hunter’s complete disinterest.

“Nox…” Andal wheedles. “You need to play nice.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I don’t!”

_“Nox.”_

“I’m not interested in dragging some greenhorn Warlock around Venus, Andal! I’m a scout, not a babysitter!” Io feels her temper flare. _Greenhorn?_ Oh, she’ll show him green.

“Excuse me?” she snaps. Nox blinks down at her (because he is _also_ aggravatingly tall, damn it), watching her struggle to keep herself from punching him. He seems to misunderstand her anger as insolent outrage, though.

“You heard me,” his voice is cold. “I’m not interested in carting around some Warlock who’s never seen the outside of the library, let alone the Walls. So find some other poor asshole to drag you around Venus. I’m not interested.” 

He turns to leave. The Hall is dead silent. All three Vanguard leaders are watching. 

Io won’t take this. She’s far more than some library shut-in. She’s a veteran of the Battle of Six Fronts, of the Battle of the Twilight Gap, and a talented Dawnblade. She’s far better than this foolish Hunter thinks she is.

“Meet me at Bannerfall in two hours,” her voice is steady and calm, so unlike the rage boiling within. Nox pauses.

“Excuse me?” he asks, bewildered.

“You heard me,” the temperature in the room seems to drop a few degrees. “You want to call me weak to my face, then do it. But don’t think I won’t prove you wrong. Bannerfall, two hours. I win, you help me on Venus. You win, I won’t bother you again.”

Nox’s eyes narrow, but Io doesn’t wait for him to respond. She sweeps past him, head held high, and leaves the Hall behind. She needs to go talk to Shaxx about clearing out Bannerfall for their match.

  


* * *

  


She wins. Anyone who knows her expects her to. Ikora expects her to. Zavala expects her to. Even Shaxx expects her to, and he rarely favors anybody. 

To add insult to injury, Shaxx commentates the match. Clearly Nox has pissed the big man off before, because the normally partial Crucible handler takes great joy in remarking on Nox’s failings against the veteran Warlock.

That said, it’s not an easy match. Nox is still an excellent Hunter, and Io gets tethered by his Shadowshot more than once. But she takes a resounding victory. 

Part of her hopes that Shaxx broadcast the match, if only to bring the Hunter down a few pegs. Another, shyer part of her hopes not. She really doesn’t need the attention. 

In any case, she stares down at the exhausted, gasping hunter lying on the ground. Her last Daybreak attack hadn’t actually managed to kill him in time before the match time ran out, but it had given him some mighty painful-looking burns and a fantastic meeting with the ground.

“I won,” she remarks coolly. Her anger has subsided. He’s beaten, and she knows he’ll value their deal. Hunters don’t go back on bets, and by appearing at Bannerfall, Nox had accepted the terms, even if he hadn’t agreed out loud.

Io can tell, even while he’s panting on the ground, that underneath his helmet he’s giving her a furious look. Jupiter appears in the air beside her, floating down to where Nox’s Ghost is resting on his chest, seemingly bored. Clearly, even his Ghost is fed up with his attitude. Jupiter chirps at the other Ghost for a moment before floating back up to Io. 

“I’ll be in touch,” she tells the Hunter calmly. “Have fun picking up the shattered remains of your dignity off the ground.” Io honestly isn’t sure why she said that, but damn if it isn’t satisfying. It’s been a long time since she’s done anything Crucible-related, but she’s glad to see she hasn’t lost her touch. 

“Fuck you,” Nox growls from the ground. Io smiles behind her helmet, giving him a dainty wave as she walks away. 

Serves him right for calling her weak.

  


* * *

  


As it turns out, Shaxx did broadcast the fight. Io’s been getting treated to drinks by every Guardian she meets for the last two days, and she hasn’t seen Nox at all. She wonders, absently, sipping at the third drink offered to her by a friendly Hunter in the normally Hunter-only bar near the hangar, if he’s changed his armor to hide from the indignity. 

Every person’s she’s asked about Nox gives her a similar answer; he used to be a pretty chill guy, decent backup to have on missions out to Venus and the EDZ, and then, after one solo scouting mission, his behaviour seemed to take a complete one-eighty. He’s been pissing off every person he’s talked to since. 

It reeks of a mission gone badly, but it’s rather alarming that his personality would change so suddenly. Io continues to ponder the prickly Hunter’s behaviour as a large, familiar hand slaps down on the bar.

“Excellently done, Io,” rumbles a deep, comforting voice. Brutus-7, Crucible veteran and Titan Striker, seats himself next to her. She smiles at him.

“Brutus,” she greets him kindly. Brutus looks massive and intimidating, and has a swathe of Crucible wins under his belt, but underneath the threatening exterior, he’s a softie who plays with civilian children in his off hours. He makes a good drinking partner. 

“You seem thoughtful,” he remarks. Io rolls her eyes.

“And that’s different from how I usually am?” The Exo shakes his head, chuckling. 

“I don’t think you’re daydreaming about quantum Vex mechanics this time. Perhaps a certain Hunter has taken up that space in your brain?” he offers. Io’s nose crinkles, and Brutus chuckles at his accuracy. 

“I don’t get it,” she mutters, glaring down at her drink. “He used to be friendly, apparently, until he hit one mission in particular. I just want to understand why.” 

Brutus hums. “Social interactions aren’t usually something you concern yourself with. Why does this bother you so much?” he asks gently. The Frame bartender slides a drink down to the Exo as Io chews on her lip. 

There had been something in the way Nox had sworn at her and the end of their match. The, “Fuck you,” he had snarled had been full of vitriol, but there had been... something else. Something lonelier. She hadn’t noticed it when he had first said it, but when she had reviewed the footage Jupiter had taken, it had caught her attention immediately. It was sobering. 

“He’s got a lot of anger,” she comments quietly. Brutus nods.

“It almost seems defensive, doesn’t it?” he remarks. It actually makes Io stop. 

_Defensive._ “What… happened on that mission?” she wonders. By all records, it was a solo mission. But what if it hadn’t been? Guardians had a tendency to run into each other, after all. Particularly on well-trodden planets like Venus. 

“Perhaps the Vanguard might know,” Brutus murmurs. Io can hear the faint catch of curiosity in his tone. She’s found herself a partner in this venture then. Smiling faintly, she takes one last, long draught from her drink, then gets up to leave. Brutus finishes off his own. 

Time to talk to Andal.

  


* * *

  


If Andal is surprised to see them, he doesn’t show it. Then again, the man has ears in every corner of the Tower, so he’s likely already heard about Io grilling everybody in shouting distance about the prickly Hunter.

The Vanguard hums and rubs his chin, frowning slightly. Io bounces on the balls of her feet. Brutus waits silently, arms crossed.

“Well…” the Hunter says slowly. “Technically, that mission is classified. Vanguard can’t just tell everyone what happens on sanctioned missions, after all,” He looks over the two Guardians thoughtfully. “But considering neither of you are gossipmongers, and I can see the gentle gleam of goodwill in your eyes,” beside her, Brutus rolls his. Exo eyes aren’t _that_ expressive, after all. “I’d be willing to part with the information for a price.”

Io frowns. ‘What price?” she asks. Andal is a crafty bastard. He’ll probably send them on a scavenger hunt for absolutely no reason, other than for his own amusement.

But surprisingly, Andal’s gaze seems to soften. He offers them a tablet. “That kid has been running himself into the ground for years now. I half expect to hear he’s been killed permanently every third mission or so. I’d say he has a death wish, but even that sounds too kind,” Io reaches to grab the tablet, but Andal holds on tight for a moment longer. Then, firmly, fiercely, he says, “Save him.” He lets go of the tablet and turns away to speak to a Crucible Frame. 

Io feels thrown. It’s a tall request. Mutely, she turns on her heel and walks out of the Vanguard Hall. Brutus is right behind her. 

They find themselves seated on the steps of the Tower Plaza. Jupiter and Mellie, Brutus’ Ghost, float around their heads, as curious as cats. Io holds the tablet loosely, staring at the blank screen. Andal’s words are still ringing in her ears.

_“Save him.”_

Even if they learn what happened to the lonely Hunter, how are they supposed to fix it if he won’t let anybody in?

Io takes a deep breath and switches the tablet on.

**Author's Note:**

> This is set at some point between the end of Mid-City Age and the beginning Late City Age. Destiny lore is really fuzzy about some things, like exactly when Zavala took over as Vanguard Commander or who took part in the Battle of Six Fronts (Destinypedia says four orders of Titans, but then mentions Osiris, a Warlock, as one of the battle's many heroes). Apologies if Andal's personality seems out of sorts, but he doesn't really have an established one in canon, so I worked with what I could. 
> 
> This is my first Destiny fic, and my first work on ao3, so please, tell me if anything could have been done better. Part 2 of the story will come soon.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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